Panicky progressives hyperventilate.

Next Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments concerning constitutional challenges to Obamacare’s contraception mandate brought by Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties. The families that own and operate these private corporations believe the mandate violates the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act by forcing them to provide employees with health insurance covering abortifacients. Both families have grave religious objections to the use of such drugs.

Neither company objects to birth control, per se. Indeed, both provide coverage to their employees for most types of contraception. Yet civilization as we know it will collapse if the justices rule in their favor, according to the increasingly shrill prognostications of panicky liberals. Such a decision, progressives shriek, would constitute a victory for the dark forces behind the “war on women,” erode employee protections against discrimination, and dramatically reduce access to health care for all workers.

If this seems like an exaggeration, consider the recent statements made in Congress by Democrat Senator Patty Murray in direct reference to these Supreme Court cases: “Allowing a woman’s boss to call the shots about her access to birth control should be inconceivable to all Americans in this day and age, and takes us back to a place in history when women had no voice or choice.” The Senator went on to imply that the owners of Hobby Lobby and Conestoga are little more than foot soldiers in the fabled “war on women.”

The major problem with this argument is, of course, that this “war” is a work of fiction produced by the Democrats and various affiliates in order to scare women into voting for members of their party. But Senator Murray’s statement also misrepresents who is behind these lawsuits. They were filed by closely-held family-owned businesses. It has apparently escaped the notice of the Senator, but most families do contain females. That includes the Green family who owns Hobby Lobby and the Hahn family who owns Conestoga.

Murray was also disingenuous about why the lawsuits were filed. These folks don’t want to take anyone back to “a place in history when women had no voice.” What they seek is relief from a bureaucratic diktat that would force them to pay for products the use of which is proscribed by their religious beliefs. And, the President’s phony accommodation notwithstanding, the contraception mandate forces them to do just that. This violates the religious rights of everyone in these families, including those of the women.

In addition to their claim that Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialtiesare part of the fictitious war on women, our progressive friends also claim that a Supreme Court ruling in their favor would somehow repeal the various federal statutes that protect workers against discrimination. This talking point has been repeated by all the usual suspects. The Huffington Post, for example, warns that a win for the arts and crafts chain will unleash a spate of anti-gay laws and other types of “legalized discrimination.”

Even normally sensible publications have repeated this implausible claim. Inc., for example, quotes the chief counsel for the left-leaning Constitutional Accountability Center thus: “We could see more claims for exemptions from generally applicable federal laws, like anti-discrimination laws.” The author of the piece elaborates on this threat: “That means, for example, employee protections for gender, race, religion, and national origin established in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 could come under attack.”

Predictably, none of the people making this claim explain how that would work. Nor do they expand on another widely repeated meme — that a ruling in favor of these two companies would somehow reduce access to health care for the general population. Planned Parenthood is particularly fond of this talking point: “What the Court decides could set a dangerous precedent … allowing businesses to deny their employees… procedures and treatments like vaccines, surgeries, blood transfusions, or mental health care.”

Again, it isn’t obvious how a decision in favor of the Green and Hahn families would set such a precedent, but logic and reason aren’t really in play here. What these wacky prognostications are about is fear. Obamacare is an unworkable morass of bad ideas, many of which are clearly unconstitutional. Its dwindling cadre of supporters is terrified that it won’t survive many more encounters with the surgeons. In 2012, the justices amputated the Medicaid mandate and they may well hack off the contraception mandate this summer.

There have already been more than 3 dozen major Obamacare “fixes,” including 20 administrative changes, 15 congressional changes, and two alterations by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, several lawsuits involving the legality of the IRS decision to issue tax credits through federally established insurance exchanges are working their way through the court system. Obamacare’s remaining advocates are hysterical with fear that the voters will eventually decide to put the trembling beast out of its misery.

About the Author

David Catron is a health care revenue cycle expert who has spent more than twenty years working for and consulting with hospitals and medical practices. He has an MBA from the University of Georgia and blogs at Health Care BS.

Tweets

Recent Photos

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Freedom

"Freedom" like life is fragile and delicate and can be ended without warning or fanfare or gradually like the sands of time.
Frank Neudecker

Kitty’s Place Very Comfortable 4 Blocks from Beach, 2 Blocks from Bay

Kitty's Place
Would you like to visit someplace nice... maybe just the two of you. Kitty's home is 5 years old, beautifully furnished, very family oriented. To Kitty your stay is important in that they strive to provide you with everything you need for your vacation or time away to relax.
Furnished with amenities for you to enjoy your vacation and fun in the sun. Very hospitable atmosphere, great beach, amusement parks only miles away, and shopping at a great Outlet Mall only minutes away. Newly installed above ground pool. Minutes to the famous Ft. Morgan. Great sunsets, beautiful waters, white sandy beaches. Very relaxing, very enjoyable.
Kitty's home is dog friendly and has it's own pool.

What we stand For

There is one constant pledge that we live by and it is that our American Government is founded on the concept of the individuality and the dignity of the human being.
Underlying this concept is the belief that the human person is important because he was created by God and endowed by Him with certain unalienable rights which no civil authority may usurp.
The inclusion of God in our pledge or our money or in our courts and buildings further acknowledge the dependence of our people and our Government upon the moral directions of the Creator, our Father, the Lord God Almighty.
This is the principal of government and reporting that we stand by....

FAIR USE NOTICE:

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www. law. cornell. edu/uscode/17/107. shtml“